Being inside the barrier with Danzo made Yoru feel uneasy.
As one of Konoha's villains, being near him meant danger.
The entire Anbu carried Danzo's personal style—ruthless, indifferent to the deaths of subordinates, and placing extreme emphasis on loyalty and the Will of Fire.
Small squads or larger teams constantly left the barrier, their missions unknown.
Yoru was lucky; after a few days, the Black Chimp Squad was dispatched as well.
At the critical moment of monitoring Uzumaki Village, the Black Chimp Squad arrived at the port at the mouth of the Nankazu River.
Finally, he didn't have to stay with Danzo.
While assigning tasks, the Black Chimp Captain said that for the next few days, they must closely monitor all ships coming from the Land of Waves and the Land of Water—especially those carrying Konoha ninja.
The squad scattered, hiding among crates on the dock, carefully observing the Konoha ninja.
A Konoha squad disembarked, their faces relaxed and happy to be back in the Land of Fire.
Missions in other countries were far more dangerous; returning to the Land of Fire felt like coming home.
Such a Konoha squad wasn't the Black Chimp Squad's target.
After three days of waiting, a special Konoha squad finally disembarked.
Two Konoha ninja looked panicked, hastily jumping onto the dock.
In their panic, they knocked over several dockworkers and ran toward Konoha's direction.
The Black Chimp Captain acted immediately, and Yoru and the others hurried after him.
In the woods outside the port, the two Konoha ninja ran swiftly along the Nankazu River.
Ahead, a Konoha ninja blocked their path.
Yoru quickly removed his mask, put on his Konoha forehead protector, and disguised himself as an ordinary Konoha ninja. His shoulder was bandaged, faint traces of blood visible, and he called out:
"Hello! I'm a Konoha ninja too! Can someone help me change my bandage? My shoulder and arm are injured; I can't manage it myself."
An older Konoha ninja said:
"Sorry! We have important intel to deliver to the village!
We spotted several ships at sea carrying many Cloud and Mist ninja! They're heading toward Uzumaki Village!
Uzumaki Village is our ally—they might…
Ah!"
Several ninja suddenly rushed out from the Nankazu River, the gleam of ninja swords flashing, water spraying as they struck the two Konoha ninja dead.
Yoru inwardly shuddered. No wonder this was the Anbu—they managed Konoha's dark side, and for secret objectives, they killed their own people.
With so many Cloud and Mist ninja mobilized, it was impossible to remain entirely secret—some ninja would inevitably notice.
The Anbu couldn't allow this information to reach the village, so they didn't capture these ninja; leaving witnesses could reveal their operations.
After eliminating three waves of Konoha ninja who might deliver intelligence, the Black Chimp Captain was satisfied:
"Move! Back to Uzumaki Village! Find Lord Danzo!"
Yoru calculated the distance from Konoha to Uzumaki Village. Considering the positions of the Mist and Cloud ninja fleets, even if Konoha received the intel today, it would be too late to dispatch support.
By the time the Senju clan's reinforcements reached Uzumaki Village, it would likely be destroyed.
The Black Chimp Squad arrived at Uzumaki Village in the late night.
In the direction of Uzumaki Village, flames shot into the sky.
Yoru was about to charge forward but suddenly stopped.
By conventional logic, Konoha and Uzumaki Village had an alliance; they had mutual defense obligations.
Whenever either village faced danger, the other had a duty to help.
But now, conventional logic didn't apply.
"Where are you going? Stop!"
An Anbu, acting on habit, charged toward Uzumaki Village but was called back by the Black Chimp Captain.
The captain led the squad into the previously hidden mountaintop barrier.
Inside, the barrier was crowded with many Anbu.
On the mountaintop, Danzo sat calmly on a rock, coldly staring toward Uzumaki Village.
From this vantage point, the entire village was in view.
From a distance, half the village was shrouded in mist, while lightning flickered like swarms of fireflies in the other half.
Fires raged throughout the village, set deliberately in an organized manner from outside to inside.
The Konoha ninja who were stopped and killed had seen the truth: many Cloud and Mist ninja were attacking Uzumaki Village.
Yoru tried to make sense of the situation.
Konoha was now facing the greatest crisis since Hiruzen Sarutobi's administration: the change of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
This was during the Second Ninja World War, when the wars in the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Rain were far less significant than the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki change.
Losing a minor war would at most cost Konoha a small portion of mission assignments—they could regain it later.
If the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki suffered an accident, the village could be completely devastated.
In the original story, when the Nine-Tails rampaged, Konoha suffered massive casualties; the Fourth Hokage and countless villagers died.
That disaster also marked the beginning of the original plot.
Uzumaki Mito was very old, her body weakened, chakra declining, and the seal unstable.
To ensure safety, Konoha planned to select another genius Uzumaki like Mito to become the next Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
However, the Uzumaki clan had their own plans.
After two Ninja World Wars, Konoha had grown weaker, suffering heavy losses, no longer dominating the ninja world like the era of the First Hokage.
Continuing to rely solely on Konoha's alliance for village security was increasingly dangerous.
For the safety and legacy of the Uzumaki clan, they planned to use their powerful sealing techniques to seal a tailed beast themselves.
In this way, the Uzumaki clan would have a lasting trump card to deter the five great ninja villages.
Thus, Uzumaki Village refused Danzo's request and did not send Princess Uzumaki to Konoha.
From that moment, cracks appeared in the alliance.
Uzumaki Village dispatched the Sealing Squad with Uzumaki Kushina to seal the wild Three-Tails.
It was true that the Three-Tails had no Jinchūriki, but it had always belonged to Mist Village—they just had no current Jinchūriki.
The idealistic First Hokage was to blame, dividing the tailed beasts among the villages but not giving one to Uzumaki Village.
Mist Village, learning that Uzumaki Village intended to seal the Three-Tails, sent some members of the Seven Ninja Swords to thwart their mission.
Mist Village was formidable; they not only blocked Uzumaki Village's actions but also retaliated angrily.
The Cloud ninja intervened as well.
The Third Raikage was strong; at the Land of Hot Water battlefield, Konoha was at a disadvantage, which is why so many Cloud ninja were present.
The number of Mist and Cloud ninja attacking the Uzumaki clan was immense—enough to prepare for a major battle with Konoha.
If the two villages won, they could obtain the sealing techniques they desperately needed from Uzumaki Village to control a tailed beast.
The Nine-Tails was one of Konoha's foundations; the tailed beasts of the two villages were also their foundations.
Unfortunately, Konoha would never send reinforcements.
Konoha only wanted Uzumaki Kushina.
They absolutely would not allow the strongest Uzumaki princess to become the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki.
Uzumaki Kushina was Konoha's chosen next Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—this mission could not fail.
For the Nine-Tails, Konoha was willing to do anything.
Without the Senju clan in Konoha's upper echelon, no one cared about meaningless alliances, and no one valued the Uzumaki clan.
Yoru looked at Uzumaki Village through his telescope, witnessing scenes of disaster.